1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a flow implementation system, a flow implementation method, a recording medium having a flow implementation program stored therein, and an image processing apparatus, and particularly relates to an image processing apparatus in which a created flow is implemented, a flow implementation system that implements the created flow into an image processing apparatus, a flow implementation method, and a recording medium having a flow implementation program stored therein.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, image processing apparatuses (e.g. multifunction machines) that include hardware resources, applications, and controllers for providing services related to image processing with use of the hardware resources have gained widespread use. The multifunction machines, which are examples of the image processing apparatuses, provide functions of copier, fax machine, printer, etc., by using applications.
The multifunction machines have fixed flows of executing operations of these functions of the multifunction machines, and therefore the flows do not always suit users' tasks. In view of the foregoing, multifunction machines that allow installation of new applications developed by third party vendors or users are becoming popular (see Patent Documents 1 and 2).
For instance, there are multifunction machines that allow installation of new applications developed by third party vendors or users with use of SDKs (Software Development Kits). The SDK is a set of tools necessary for developing software by using certain technologies (programming languages, API, etc.). The multifunction machines can provide flows that suit users' tasks by implementing such applications developed with use of the SDKs.
However, development of applications using the SDKs requires high programming skills. It is therefore difficult to develop applications using the SDKs at the user level.
In the related art, there are multifunction machines that determine the order of operations of functions (e.g. scan paper→print→send) by using tools.    <Patent Document 1> Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2003-256238    <Patent Document 2> Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2002-287990
However, these related-art multifunction machines only determine the order of operations of the functions by using the tools, and cannot flexibly respond to flows of users' various complex tasks.
That is, it is necessary to develop applications by using the SDKs for making the multifunction machines flexibly respond to the flows of various complex tasks. As mentioned above, it is difficult to develop applications by using the SDKs at the user level. Therefore, if users want to make the multifunction machines flexibly respond to the various complex tasks, the users need to ask third party vendors to develop applications.